


Wings of Fire Legends: The Tale of Iliac

by Skelebeanz



Category: Wings of Fire - Tui T. Sutherland
Genre: Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:02:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27639277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skelebeanz/pseuds/Skelebeanz
Summary: This is just a fun fan-made story about a character of the name Iliac.Its a big work in progress and being written for fun. Updates will occur randomly, but I hope I will be able to update rather frequently and keep giving content to those interested.
Kudos: 5





	1. Prologue

Tilapia knew her time was limited.

She'd known since the moment she'd been visited by the Queen. The sun shone down on the beach, the sand hot to the touch and the waves gently crashing onto the island's shores she was stationed on. The sea gulls croned on above her as she halted her search for shells due to the company she had. A tall, elegant seawing stared down at her with eyes of silver. Her scales were polished and glimmered in the sunlight, shining a beautiful blue that reminded her of the sea itself as the Queen stood tall and proud. The Queen's eyes seized her heart at that very moment and paralyzed her on the spot as the royal dragon spoke; the condescending and degrading tone used scorched the words into her mind, only spurring her into further action. 

She couldn't hide it any longer. 

"I have been informed you have been seeing a dragon outside of our tribe," Queen Cordelia stated, her voice cold and devoid of emotion. Her brows had furrowed as she had stared down at Tilapia, her claws picking at the pearl bracelets adorning her wrist. Tilapia remembers feeling her heart skip a beat and her mouth grow dry at that statement. Her claws trembled along with the tips of her wings and she did her best to not show it, trying to paint the look of innocence. "Of what tribe, I do not know, but I am here to make sure those claims are incorrect." 

She recalled looking up at the Queen, sweat beading her brow as she tried to think of what to say. The guards behind the Queen had bristled, watching her warily as the royal dragon awaited her response. She struggled to speak, her adrenaline started to rush as she began to push out a lie. A lie that would attempt to conceal the fact she did have a mate, one that was foriegn to this land. A lie that would protect them and save them from the Queen. A lie that would protect her unhatched dragonet that was nestled in the bed of seaweed in her small home.

She knew that she didn't lie well enough though. 

Queen Cordelia seemed to evaluate it, leaning back to whisper to her guards. The guards perked up as she spoke, ears pricked forth and their wings flicking open slightly; their claws tightening on their spears they carried. Tilapia felt terrified, her claws clammy as she dug her claws into the sand and watched the Seawings converse. It felt like forever until the Queen returned her attention back to the panicked Seawing, her gaze cold and calculated. She expected to be taken away right then and there to be arrested by the guards or perhaps even killed, but the Queen just waved her claws. 

"Alright then, I do find you believable. You are dismissed. However, be aware that I will have a guard keeping an eye on you." Tilapia knew she wasn't dismissed from the topic despite Queen Cordelia's statement and the concept of being watched made her shudder, her wings shaking out. Queen Cordelia's silver eyes had told a different story than her words, gripping her like the oceans waves during a vicious storm. The Queen was suspicious. Even when she was left alone on the beach, the Queen and her guards mere specks in the sky, she knew she had to leave. She couldn't stay here any longer. 

So she fled. 

Tilapia rushed through the sea with an egg held close to her chest, her grip on it tight enough that it wouldn't slip out and go sinking to the depths below. The ocean was unrelenting and pushed against her despite her using the currents she'd been taught while travelling through it. It felt as if she was swimming too slow, like a sea turtle gliding through the sea at a leisurely pace, and she rathered she was a dolphin zipping around than that. She risked a glance over her shoulder as she swam, knowing that no dragon was there, but still fearing it. There was always the chance of being tailed.

Where would she go? 

The question struck her and she came to a halt, her sides and gills heaving from her swimming and laboured breaths. Bubbles pooled around her and she felt as if she was being watched by prying eyes despite her quick stop. Perhaps it was from the eel watching her from the coral reef below or the whale seeming by at a slow and calm pace as she tried to piece together where to hide or at least conceal her egg. Somewhere safe and hidden, out of the Queens clutches. There were plenty of islands that were uninhabited and untouched, leaving her room to take a pick, but that was too risky as she could forget where it was and lose the egg all together. 

Her dragonet. 

Her scales flashed rapidly, mainly consisting of swear words as she frantically searched her brain for a place she could hide her precious unhatched dragonet. Her eyes flickered down to it and she found herself holding it closer, a soft trill escaping her lips as she admired it. Tilapia knew any dragon would say it looked ordinary, but to her, it was gorgeous; a dark green and light green swirled together across the shell, splattered with faint pink here and there. It was perfect. It was her everything. Something she knew she had to protect with her life. 

She hoped she would be able to see her dragonet grow up, especially alongside Nightshade, her mate. It was a dream and one she wanted to come true. If she was able to pull this all off, she knew she could make this dream come true. She just had to find somewhere safe to hide until it was safe for her to make a proper escape and find somewhere new to live. Though the concept of where she would go while territory wars raged was something problematic and concerning when it came to finding somewhere safe to live and raise a dragonet. Especially with Nightshade being a dragon not of Pyrrhia and their dragonet being a hybrid. 

Tilapia searched her surroundings again and to her dismay, she could see the outline of two Seawings swimming in her direction. She could see the faint glint of the metal armor they wore and the narwhal spears they carried. The feeling of being watched made more sense now and she knew she'd been followed. Regardless of that, she refused to give her egg up. She wouldn't watch it be smashed before her eyes like the countless others that had been when the Queen disapproved. So she darted off again, using her thick and powerful tail to propel her forward, her mind mulling over where she could hide it.

And then it hit her. 

The old tale her grandmother had told her about. 

There was an abandoned and unfinished palace near the Skywing tribe's territory. Her grandmother had told her about it when she was just a dragonet as if it was just a tall tale, emphasizing its beauty despite the palace being unkempt, overgrown, and untouched for centuries. The palace was supposed to be built in honor of a peaceful treaty between the Seawings and Skywings, but then the Royal Seawing Massacre occurred, leaving it to be unfinished due to the horrors that occurred that day. The statues were left unfinished: her grandmother had said they were massive and nearly touched the ceilings, holding spears and were decorated in sapphires and emeralds. Some of them were halfway finished, others complete and staring down at the rooms they stood in. Treasures were left abandoned, said to be tucked away in an old treasury where it was stored and was intended to be used in the creation of the palace. Hardly any dragon knew of it due to its unscheduled and unforeseen abandonment and was now her only hope. While she couldn't remember the exact location, if her grandmother had even bothered to tell her it, she knew that it was near the Skywings territory that met the Seawings, and that area was relatively small. 

She knew she had to hurry. 

The moment Tilapia reached the territory, she was about ready to keel over and lay in the sand below. Her gills heaved along with her sides from her laborious breathing and she felt lightheaded from the adrenaline coursing through her veins. But she didn't, she kept going. She kept swimming and swimming, growing increasingly tired as she searched through the territory for the abandoned palace. The water was warmer here and it only aided the exhaust dragging her down. She could see wide expanses of coral reefs and large schools of tropical fish swimming around, though they hid as she swam by. 

She couldn't give up.

It seemed she was going to come up empty taloned, but when she nearly had decided to move on and search elsewhere, ready to collapse onto the seafloor, she found the palace from her grandmother's tall tale. The lower levels of the palace had been submerged in the ocean, the entrance nearly hidden by the growth of coral and seaweed. The marble stairs were finished, but were cracked and aged, obviously untouched since the day it was abandoned. Yet, golden talon prints were imprinted into them which she could only assume it was for decorative reasons. Spiral columns branched up and connected to the rocky walls, some having Seawing statues carved into it and decorated with gems. Fish swam to and fro, disappearing into coral growths and the seaweed plaguing the outside, hardly disturbed by her presence. She even spotted sharks swimming by and dolphins chattering excitedly, everything seeming to be tranquil and calm. 

It was obvious no dragon had stepped here in a long time. 

The entrance loomed in front of her, wide and darker than any trench she had peered into. It seemed so welcoming despite it's eerie appearance that Tilapia hardly felt any fear from this place. It seemed so magical, like something out of the scrolls she'd read in school as a little dragonet. The opening was guarded by two large statues, those on the outside that sat perched on the stony roof carving and mountain side submerged looking as if they were dolls compared to them. The statue's aquatic markings were embedded with sapphires, their eyes being gold and the rest a smooth marble. Their eyes stared down at her and she felt as if she was being judged by them and that if she was not to their liking, they'd shoo her off with the giant spears they held in their stony grasp. 

She took a deep breath through her gills, pushing back whatever those statues had stirred within and swam in. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness rather quickly, but it was in vain as she swam into a large opening. Sunlight shone down onto the water and illuminated the sight before her, that being massive Seawing statues towering above her and to the ceiling. They held spears and their aquatic markings were what only she could assume was emerald and sapphire. They looked rather similar to the ones that stood guard out front, but some were unfinished or had eroded, missing chunks of their marble bodies. Coral and seaweed had grown on them, along with the spiral columns that branched up into nothingness above her, though she could see schools of fish swimming above. 

Tilapia felt like she was standing in a ballroom meant for dancing, but with it being submerged and forgotten....it was eerily empty. She eyed the floor and found it to be carved with patterns and paved over so they were preserved. She couldn't understand those that felt as if they should be readable, but didn't dwell. Tilapia continued on, swimming up the only stairs in sight that lead her through a winding hallway that looked finished in some spots and others not. It branched off into many paths, some she found to be above the water with a glance as they elevated upwards and others leading deeper into the depths. She chose to go up; clambering up and out of the water into a hallway that was widening and looking more and more finished compared to some that were roughly shaped she had passed through. 

Soon treasures, sapphires, emeralds, and even rubies, began to adorn the walls, decorative markings and carvings riddling the stone and only entrancing her farther and farther as she scurried along. Tilapia wondered if the dragons following her had gotten this far, if they were as enchanted by this place as she was, but she shuddered, imagining them pushing their way through the very halls she'd swam through to find her, ignoring the sight around them. She didn't have time to adore this ancient place. She scurried through the hall, finding herself in a massive room as it ended and she was dumbfounded by it.

It reminded Tilapia of the ballroom, but it lacked any of the massive statues other than a seawing head that was started to be carved into the wall, its distinctive emerald eyes watching her. The walls were decorated in various carvings of dragons and symbols she couldn't even begin to comprehend. It was amazing. Gorgeous even. A fountain sat in the middle of the room, a massive sakura tree perched on a small island within it, its petals falling off and gracing the water or the old marble floor. A pedestal made of stone, one that looked to be a seawing, held what looked to be a stone in its talons.There was a hole in its chest she found….eerily odd. The ceiling had been carved out leaving an opening that had been grown over by trees, though speckles of sunlight filtering into the room, and columns supported the walls, keeping this place from collapsing in on itself. 

It was...enthralling and she would've explored and taken in every inch if she had the time. Despite the comfort and peace she felt within the room, she rushed to the fountain and dipped her egg into the petal infested water. The water pushed them away with the ripples caused by her talons and Tilapia found herself rushing to cover where she had dipped her claws in with quick strokes. Petals stuck to her arms and she could feel the warmth radiating from the water in the fountain. She didn't like what she was doing- what she had to do, but she would come back. This was the perfect hiding spot and if all went well….she'd be back in no time.

"I'll be back for you, I promise. Your mother loves you so much," Tilapia whispered, her eyes flickering around the room quickly before she eyed the stone, which she realized was actually a pearl, in the statue's claws. Her eyes focused on it and she found herself aching to touch it. But she didn't. She didn't have time for that. She had to ensure her egg was safe. "You hear me? I love you and I'll be back. Until then, stay hidden little one."

She eyed the water before she drew her shaky claws to her chest, inhaling and exhaling a few times before she spread her wings and flew to the trees above. She hoped that the Seawings hadn't followed her here. She hoped that she would be back soon. She hoped she'd see Nightshade and they'd escape together. She hoped they would raise their dragonet in peace.

But Tilapia's hopes were shattered.

She didn't get to come back. She didn't get to see Nightshade. And she never got to go back for her egg. 

And she was never aware of the prying eyes of the statue that watched her.


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the patience, ill update twice a week ❤

Iliac knew the palace like the back of his talons. He'd grown up within its walls, each day a new adventure as he would dive deeper and deeper to uncover secrets it concealed. Even when he had learned its layout and had memorized it, there were still carvings and paintings he had to decipher. Most of them were for decoration, others honored certain dragons that had long passed, and Iliac often found himself inquiring The Keeper about them. 

There were plenty of old scrolls to read too, but half of them had been destroyed when half of the library had been submerged, and the language they had been written in was old and noticeably different from the new one spoken by other dragons. Most of the knowledge was outdated too, as he'd been informed by his guardian. While most changes weren't that different or noticeable, he could see it in the newer scrolls his guardian granted him time to time as some of the words he'd seen in the older scrolls had become obsolete and there were new words most likely replacing them he didn't quite recognize. He was still learning the newer form of language other dragons used and he was informed by Keeper that if he was to speak to other dragons outside the abandoned palace, they would notice it immediately.

He chose to ignore that as he figured his lessions with Keeper would help with that and perhaps one day he would be able to venture out to speak to another dragon without his accent showing too much. He knew there were different kinds, each varying in looks and abilities, but what he had read in the scrolls about them was most likely no longer relevant and some bits were destroyed by the water that had flooded a good portion of the library. Well, some knowledge was better than none. 

Iliac knew that he wouldn't be able to explore and meet other dragons now or probably any time soon thanks to his guardian being overprotective and warning him about the trouble brewing between the tribes. According to Keeper, the Seawings were siding with the Mudwings about a territory dispute and it was becoming rather problematic. He couldn't understand why they'd all fight over territory as the world outside the abandoned palace had to be massive, therefore- there was no reason for them to fight over the land. Especially when they could just share. 

"You…..have that look….again….what is bothering you….this time?" A grating and gravelly voice asked slowly, causing him to peer up at the owner. Keeper stood before him, their emerald eyes glinting in the sunlight that filtered into the room. The sunlight shone down them, catching the details carved into their stone body. Their stone ears pricked forth as they tilted their head slightly at him, their expression one that could be described as curious as they waited for him to respond. "You….are not thinking….of the…..outside world again….are you..?"

Keeper had been his guardian since the day he had hatched, protecting and caring for him as he grew. It was interesting considering that they were a statue carved over two centuries ago and enchanted by Albatross as a gift to Queen Lagoon. Keeper was supposed to be able to grant any dragon whatever knowledge or item they desired, however it could only be granted if that knowledge or item already existed. They could grant animus gifts too, but only if they judged it and considered it to be worthy. They were made to be as realistic as possible, each scale and aquatic marking made with precision. Their aquatic markings were emeralds that had been embedded into their body, adding color to their gray stone body. In their chest, a hole was carved to support a large pink pearl that was nestled into it. They stood three heads taller than him, making him feel smaller than he really was. 

"Perhaps I am," He joked softly, smiling slightly as he met his guardian's gaze. He should have been reading the scroll spread out between his talons on the floor, its contents describing the Seawing Massacre, but his mind had wandered off to the outside world. He had been daydreaming about exploring the outside world again. The concept was intoxicating and he wished he could slip outside to explore the world's contents as well as meet other dragons. He sighed softly and rubbed his wrist, eyes focusing on his scroll. "As much as I love this place, it can be…..lonely?" 

The enchanted statue before him hums and they raised a claw to their chin. He knew they were processing his words and piecing together a response. He had found out through observations he'd made over the years that they were slow when it came to talking physically, having to pause to process what was said to them before they could churn out their response which had pauses in between the words. When they spoke with the pearl, their voice wasn't grating and they never paused once. 

"You are not…..missing much. Dragons out…...there are cruel…..and they fight over…...simple things…," They paused again and he waited patiently for them to continue. He had grown used to them talking this way and while he doesn't quite understand why they don't use the pearl since it seems to be less of a strain, he knew it's not his place to ask. The guardian tilted their head back slightly and the pearl lit up, pinks swirling within it. Iliacs perked his ears forth at this, aware that they're using the pearls abilities. "They are….fighting over the territory….that…..borders the sea...it is silly really." 

"In my opinion, it sounds like a ridiculous reason to be fighting when it could be either disputed or shared, but that does not change the fact I desire to see what the scrolls describe. Like the Moonglobe Tree made by Frostbite!" Iliac stood up as he spoke excitedly, his mind picking through his mental list of animals, places, and overall, things he wanted to see. There was so much to the world outside the palaces walls he wanted so badly to see. "I know you want to keep me safe and I appreciate that, but I am almost eight moons old. I can handle myself." 

He can see the look he received from that last sentence is one that is disapproving, but he knew that was because they wanted to protect him. It was sweet, but at times he felt like they were smothering him. He collected the scroll off the floor and neatly rolled it back up as he waits for them to respond. His gaze flickered between them and the scroll he's holding in his talons, admittedly a bit anxious for their response. A part of him already knows they will point out how he's not ready to be out in the world, but he holds to the small hope they may give him some wiggle room.

"I know….you are almost eight…..but….I do not think….now is the right…..time….," Keeper responded, lowering their arm down as they regard him again. Each move they made, even the slightest, made scraping noises that echoed throughout the library. He had grown used to that too, though it can be a bit jarring at times. "Besides, how….will you travel..? The sea does….not stretch…..through the lands….you aren't the best...swimmer…..either." 

Iliac feigned a scoff at Keepers comment, waving a talon at them and puffing out his chest slightly as if he had been hurt by their comment. Then he dropped the act and chuckled, a smile gracing his features. He was not hurt by the guardian's words and knew that they had a good point. It was something to ponder and he wasn't sure how to answer the question. He set the scroll up on its respective shelf as he mulled over it, talon placed under his chin as he sat back on his haunches.

He had the powerful Seawing tail and the webbing between his front talons, but the petals he had made his tail hardly useful as it slowed his movements. Keeper and him had tried to figure out ways to make it work, but the standard way of swimming for Seawings didn't quite fit. If he swam like a dolphin or whale rather than a seawing did like a shark, it functioned much better, but strained his back. He was sore for days if he consistently used the method and he felt that it was counterproductive.

He couldn't breathe underwater either, not naturally at least, and had to rely on the trinket attached to his harness. He reached up and touched it with a claw thoughtfully, the fish charm clicking at the touch. He loved the charm, it was cute and his guardians thoughtfulness for him made his heart swell. Keeper had enchanted it to allow him to breathe underwater, that way he could travel throughout the palace and not be confined to the room Keeper loved the most. On top of that, the sea didn't expand onto the mainland and although he were sure there were rivers, it seemed as if it would be nearly impossible to work with. He would be left vulnerable if he had to swim constantly. 

"We both know...you….cannot fight….they would kill you….no hesitation..," Keeper frowned as they said it, their expression glum. He frowns as well, knowing it's because they don't want him to get hurt or worse, killed, by another dragon. Iliac appreciated them caring about him like this, always wanting to keep him safe and out of dangers clutches, and he brings himself to smile slightly. He shifts towards them slightly to comfort them on that thought, but they move over to him and open up a stone wing, using it to pull him close. The heavy feeling of their wing made him grunt and he shifted as he's pressed against their cool side. "I would not...be able….to protect you. I….cannot go to….the outside world…." 

Being held close makes him feel at peace and he loves it, being tucked against their side. It's like the statue was carved and enchanted just for him. Iliac leaned against them once he was able to distribute the weight of their wing and tilted his head up to meet their eyes. Keeper's expression is grim but serious and he tried to give them an equally hard look. He failed though and chuckled at his own silly attempt he had made to cheer them up, making the guardians stone face soften. The topic of him getting hurt is one that always upsets them and while they probably shouldn't be able to feel emotions, he guessed they might've enchanted themselves to have the ability or grew genuinely attached through their small personality. 

"I may not be the greatest swimmer, but I can still swim. It works despite the strain on my back and at that….Oh! I didn't think of the main way dragons travel! Dragons fly to and fro, yes?" Iliac asked, giving Keeper a moment to process his words. He was excited over his sudden discovery and he beamed as he watched them. They tilted their head to the side before they nodded and looked back at him. "If dragons use that as a main way travel and it is the quickest and simplest way, why not resort to that? I know I do not have wings, but why not just enchant an object to allow me to have some? Or to at least fly. It's a lot to ask for- but…..would you at least consider it for me?" 

He pulled away from their side to search for scrolls that depicted drawings of other tribes. While he was aware Keeper knew what wings looked like, he felt like he still needed to show them. He picked up two scrolls with an excited grin and unravelled them after setting them down on the floor, the scrolls showing drawings of a Seawing and Mudwing. They looked down as he smoothed the paper out on the marble floor with somewhat shaky talons, eyeing the drawings and he could see them focus in on the wings. 

"I….I know that you giving me my fish charm was absolutely necessary, but one day I may need to fly," He murmured sheepishly, tracing the Mudwing's wings with a talon. He carefully avoided putting too much pressure on the old paper so he wouldn't tear it, aware of the guardians eyes that were focused on him. The idea of having wings is an exciting idea and he fidgeted with his bracelets as he tried to keep it from showing too much. He'd be able to do so much with wings and travel with ease with their aid. "I would consider it an important trait at least considering that all dragons are born with them and use them daily. It could also be the answer to my adventurous plan too." 

Keeper sat back on their haunches, a loud scraping noise filling the library as they did so. The pearl embedded into Keepers chest glowed, the pinks inside it swirling around as they consulted it. It was a large request to ask and he knew from what they had told him, they rarely enchanted objects. Giving knowledge and items was one thing, but animus objects were something else. Their creator Albatross had made them to grant others knowledge, items, and even an animus enchantment if The Keeper saw it fit, but what did Keeper see fit? They had done it twice if he recalled the stories they had told him when he was a young dragonet about encounters they had with other dragons. 

"It….will be something…...I will think on…..for….now, I will hunt for tonight," Keeper replied after a few minutes, slowly standing up and turning towards the water that lapped at the floor. He stood up with them, quickly trotting to their side with a simple request on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to go out with them, even if it wasn't fair from the halfway submerged palace. "I know….what you are….going…to ask….I will allow it today as…..tribes are focusing….elsewhere...and the currents are….weak today." 

Iliac beamed at their statement and thanked them with a grin, diving into the flooded portion of the library. The salt water stung his gills as the enchantment took hold and started to filter the water, but it hardly bothered him. It was something he had grown up with and while it stung at first and he could taste salt in his mouth for a bit, it doesn't last long. He flexed his claws and used his webbing between his foreclaws to propel him forwards before he started to use his tail. The motion was a bit painful due to it being unnatural and his body not built for it, but he pushes onwards and ignores it. He was far too excited to let it stop him anyway.

He darted through the water, hardly graceful as he used the floor and shelves to try to weave through the library. He bumped into things occasionally and misjudged some movements, but he always recovered and pressed on. He could hear Keeper behind him walking along the floor. They were slow and heavy, but he knew they had an enchantment to allow them to become weightless in the water and give them mobility. He guessed they weren't in a hurry like he was, but then again, they didn't want to leave and explore like he did. They had everything they desired here and the concept of exploring and meeting dragons didn't really interest them.

He hardly got to leave the palace and despite the abandoned buildings massive size, it did feel a bit suffocating at times. He wanted to be able to explore more than anything, to be able to move around and not meet a solid wall that prevented him from moving any farther. The last time he'd even been in the ocean feels like over a moon ago and he wanted to swim out in the vastness of the sea. He wanted to see the schools of tropical fish, the sharks and dolphins, something more than what the palace held. He also wanted to meet a dragon too, the concept itself being incredibly exciting, but he did worry that the dragon may be hostile. These aren't exactly friendly times.

He dove down into the unfinished hallway, using the walls and floor to propel him forwards, hardly able to keep his excitement contained. The light that filtered into the library and water began to fade, darkness gradually filling the hallway. He paused and blinked, waiting for his eyes to adjust to his new surroundings. Behind him he could hear Keep moving and he turned to give them a quick smile before moving on. Soft scraping can be heard behind him as he swam through the halls and into the large ballroom, him having to halt due to the bright light shining down into its waters.

He reached up and rubbed his eyes, feeling Keeper brush against his shoulder as they moved past him and into the ballroom. When he opened his eyes, he saw them stand in the middle of the massive room and look up at the opening in the ceiling. Their wings were spread and before he knew it, they were using them to help them swim upwards. They flap slowly, each stroke powerful and causing a wave of bubbles to appear around them. He wants to make a joke as they do so, but without any aquatic markings, he couldn't. He'll just have to tell them about the joke later.

'At least they're letting me go out for once. I know that it's not the safest place out there, but there's more to this world than being stuck in here.' Iliac thought, clawing at the floor as he moved to the middle of the room. His eyes scan the room briefly, taking in the massive statues of Seawings that laid here untouched for many moons. He caught glimpses of small fish swimming through the seaweed and coral that grew around them, but he knew none were worth eating. 'Maybe they will grant my wish. I've never asked for anything before, but…..I feel somewhat selfish for that request. There's definitely something better that can be done with their abilities.'

He launched himself upwards, using his tail to help him continue the ascent to the opening in the ceiling. Bubbles are left in his wake as he spread his talons and used the webbing between them to give him an extra boost. When he made it to the top, he grabbed ahold the rock and settled on it, his gills flaring slightly from the amount of effort he had to put into it. He noticed Keeper was waiting for him near the edge of the roof and he slowly swam over to them. They gave him a puzzled look and he realized it was probably because of his thoughtful expression. He flashed them a smile to ease them then gazed out into the ocean, his claws twitching with excitement.

He took a moment to enjoy the view in front of him. From atop the roof he could see a large portion of the open ocean before him. The colorful reefs dotted along the relatively shallow seafloor, bright reds, yellows, and oranges clashing with some greens and blues. Large patches of seaweed evened it out and he could see fish lurking within it as if they were too shy to swim in the open like the others swarming the reefs. He could see a whale lazily swimming along in the distance and even a pod of dolphins chattering as they swam along the reefs. 

It was so full of life compared to the palace. His eyes gleamed with a desire to swim among the reefs and seaweed and he pushed off the roof to swim towards the reef. Iliac was slower than he'd like to be and he had to keep pushing off the ocean floor to gain momentum. Sand flies up around him as he did so, making small clouds here and there as he made his way to the lively reefs. His eyes flickered around to examine some of the sea life before he is able to disturb them. His guardian swam alongside him, keeping a slow pace as not to leave him behind. When he looked over at them, he saw that his smile had spread to their face. Happiness welled up, nearly suppressing his excitement he felt at that moment. 

While it was embarrassing that even at almost eight moons old he couldn't swim properly, his shoulders slumping slightly at the and snout dusting with a faint blush at the thought. He doesn't dwell on it for long though as he reached a coral reef and the swarms of fish scattered and rebuilt around him as he moved along. He tried to catch a few and failed, but it was still fun nonetheless. 

This is what he wanted, the freedom to explore and enjoy the world around him. Still, he'd settle for this for now.


End file.
